Covid19

 

Covid-19 has conquered the headlines. Almost nothing else matters. Indeed, the most devastating natural attack on humanity since the Spanish Plague is challenging us in every possible way.

While still fighting the unknown enemy, that knows no boundaries, subject to no law and does not discriminate, we still must address a number of challenging issues.

First.  Previous wars - at the outset – enhanced unity. Indeed, such unities “evaporated” over time due to escalating disputes. But “just wars” narrowed disputes. Winston Churchill wrote during the Second World War, “United we stand, divided we fall. Divided we bring back the dark ages. United we keep and guard the world”. And so, the Allies managed to unite through War World II [but not for long after the termination of hostilities]. Even the most disputed war that ever challenged the USA, the Vietnam War was first welcomed by most Americans favorably. So was the Six Day War in Israel, and even - surprising as it may sound - the war in the Falkland Islands. COVID-19 did not bring one day of unity. Not in the USA, not in Europe [where in recent demonstrations in Berlin the obligation to cover the faces was compared to the obligation to wear the infamous Yellow Star of David budges] , not in Israel, not in the Philippines, not to mention countries like Brazil or Argentina. Indeed, a life-threatening crisis failed to unite us for the first time and even  for  one day.

Second.  Even if you are a brilliant, knowledgeable thinker, and writing books which becomes internationally a best seller, in so many languages, you can be wrong and mislead your readers.

Professor Yuval Noah Harari in his book Homo Deus -A Brief History of Tomorrow, substantiates ‘the fact’ that there is no God [almost like the Communist dictum “thank God there is no God”] on the “scientific” inability to prove its existence for so many generations. COVID-19, that nobody anticipated, should encourage Professor Harari to revisit his thinking. We might not have yet “scientifically” “found God”. It does not mean there is no God. We did not find Covid-19. It found us.

Third.  A consideration, which I find most important, is that concentration on Covid-19 has shrunk the attention on other alarming challenges, some of them irreversible, but are not being attended to.

The most important of these other crises is political extremism. Let me start with the USA. The Democratic Party, “the party of the Jews” has seen an escalating and alarming number of anti-Semites reaching leadership on all levels. The racial tension in the USA is not just “bubbling”. Alexandria Ocsio Cordes [AOC] is from New York. She was voted in by New Yorkers. And although in the past she worked for Senator Ted Kennedy, and even Bernie Sanders, presently, she will not meet any formal Jewish organization in the USA [not even the Conference of Presidents]. Ms. Ocsio led the campaign that recently brought devastating losses to many New York politicians who supported Israel. In a state where to be anti-Israel or anti-Semite, was unthinkable and politically suicidal, today it becomes a ticket for success. Indeed the `New York Times named OAC as one of the most influential women in the USA. Joe Biden, in his efforts to reach the White House in November 2020, now concentrates his campaign on Muslims; promising to add a Muslim to his team if he is elected.

The last demonstrations following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota did not deviate from Anti-Semitic slogans and attacks on synagogues. However, attacks on Jewish life in the USA is not restricted to extreme groups of African Americans or Muslims, but to racists on the other side of the political map as well, as the massacre in Pittsburgh’s “Tree of Life Congregation” or the Chabad synagogue in Poway California demonstrated.

Every decent American of all gender, color and religion [and there are many] should worry. If they fail, the USA will deteriorate to a place where OAC might be a dangerous leader, where tolerance will evaporate, and the riots following the tragic death of George Floyd might be just an appetizer.

 

Jeremy Corbin might have fallen. “Corbinism”did not [although the new leader of the Labour Party, Sir Kier Starmer, is making every effort to re-attract Jewish voters]. Extremism, now being led by Muslim groups on one side of a political map, and racists on the other side, can be found all over Europe: from Sweden in the north, to Poland and Hungary, Germany, Austria, France and Belgium, and even South Africa.

Each and every one  must look at such crises in two ways. As a caring citizen and as an individual. In the former capacity, to care. To make sure every politician knows that extremism will not survive, that anti-Semitism will not be tolerated. As an individual, protect your assets. Yes, unfortunately, diversify your  investments, to a number of  geographical locations. Let not a crisis in one country affect everything you possess.

The most important of them all. “To thou own self be true. The rest will follow like night the day”. Be yourself because you determine who you are, not because someone else does so.